Closed
Low Level Asbestos Exposure Research
Tender ID: 603378
Tender Details
Organisation:
Tender #:
D25/47013
Status:
Closed
Publish Date:
7 January 2026
Closing Date:
2 February 2026
Closing Time:
03:00 PM (Australia/ACT)
Tender Description
The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency (ASSEA) has identified the potential association between low-level asbestos exposure and the development of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) as an issue that deserves research. We wish to further investigate the nature and strength of that association
Exposure to asbestos is well established as a health hazard, being associated with diseases such as mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos is a Class 1 carcinogen, with no know safe threshold for exposure. Low-level asbestos exposure is defined as exposure to asbestos at levels that are at, or below, the current Australian workplace exposure standard, which is 0.1 fibres per millilitre (f/mL) of air, measured as an 8-hour time-weighted average.
ASSEA commissioned a rapid review of literature describing the risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma associated with non-occupational, low-level exposures to asbestos. Based on 34 reports (representing 19 unique studies) that review found evidence of an association between low-level, non-occupational asbestos exposure and increased mesothelioma risk. The evidence for an association with lung cancer was less consistent.
The review gives rise to the possibility of determining a dose-response function for low-level exposure in non-occupational settings. ASSEA now seeks the services of a Supplier